Subway for cable railways



(No Model.)

C. VOG'EL & F. WHELAN.-

SUBWAY FOR CABLE RAILWAYS.

Patented Mar. 1, 1887.

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W/TNAgS'ES i N PETERS. Pmlmumn vayher, Washmgion, 0,6.

CHARLES VOGEL AND FRANK WHELAN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, OALIFORN IA.

SUBWAY FOR CABLE RAILWAYS.

I SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 358,581', dated March 1, 1887.

Application filed September 28, 1886. Serial No. 214,804. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES Voern. and FRANK WI-IELAN, both of the city and county of San Francisco, Stateof California, have i11- vented a new and Improved Subway for Cable Railways, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to street railways which are operated by a moving wire cable carried below the street surface in a subway passing between the'rails from one end of the line to the other, generally upon steep and varying grades; and it consists in a new form of construction of the said .subway and the parts intimately related thereto and affected by the improvements, by which the whole may be applied to already existing road-beds with out disturbing the track; and it can be con structed and laid in position at a minimum cost, while maintaining as high a degree of serviceability as structures of a more elaborate and expensive kind; also, the improved form of construction permits a straight unbent tie between the stringers carrying the rails without interfering with the passage-way for the grip or breaking the continuity of the waterdrainage way.

In carrying out the improvements in the subway proper, it has been found necessary to devise both a new form of hanger for the cable-carrying pulleys anda new form of depression-pulley, around which the cable passes at the angles of the road where very heavy upgrades commence. Therefore both the hanger herein described and shown, as well as the depression-pulleys and mechanism connected therewith, will also form a connected part of this invention.

In the accom iianying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a transverse section of a road-bed built upon our plan, taken at a point passing through the center of a carrying-pulley and man-hole frame. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same road-bed, showing man-hole frame with cover removed. Fig. 3 is a broken half of a transverse section of the road-bed, with an iron cross-tie substituted for the ordinary wooden one, and showing depression-pulleys in place. Fig. 4 shows in plan the shape of the frames surrounding the depression-pulleys and the relation each bears to the other. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are respectively a plan, edge, and sectional side view of the hanger for the carrying pulleys Fig. 8 shows a section of a wooden tie and its relation to the channel-iron and cross-bar.

In all the figures the same letters of reference are used to indicate the same parts.

A A are two .Z-shaped channclirons placed parallel to each other, their upper edges facing and approaching each other to within,say, about three-fourths of an inch, thus leaving a slot of that width, in which the grip-shank will move. There will be room enough between the vertical sides of these irons to accommodate the grip and the face width of the carrying-pulleys, with a trifle over for clear ance. The lower flanges of these irons are turned outward, and are broad enough to give a liberal surface to rest upon the cross-ties B. The vertical height of the irons must be suflicient to allow whatever depth of paving may be used, and they should always be deep enough to rest upon the crossties.

At every crosstie, or less frequently, if preferred, there will be an angle-iron cross-bar C. These are bolted to the crossties, and they may also be bolted or riveted to the lower flange of the channel-irons. This, however, is optional with the constructor, and will depend upon the character of the road to be built. Roads requiring to be strongly built, on account of the heavy tratlic passing over them, will have more numerous and secure fasteniugs than these roads which pass over steep grades and entirely escape the ordinary surface-traffic of the street.

D D are anglebraces bolted to the vertical sides of the channel-irons and the ends of the cross-bars 0, thus giving firmness and stability to the channel-irons and preventing the slot from closing together when any lateral pressure occurs. As these crossbars pass under the moving cable there should be at least a couple of inches between in vertical height, for, as the cable sags a little between the supporting-pulleys, it must never drag upon the crossbars. The cross-bars G,ifpreferred,may be extended to pass under the rails, in which case they would take the place of the wooden cross-ties, and should be made somewhat heavier.

E, Figs. 1, 5, 6, and 7, is the hanger for the carrying-pulley F. It is made in one piece,

and supports both ends of the spindle G of the pulley in solid babbitted half-bearings e. The hanger is hung from eyeboltsf,which depend from the bottom flanges of the channel-irons, the rods H passing through both eyebolts and lugs g on each corner of the hanger. As shown in the plan, Fig. 5, there are cross-bars h h, which join the two sides of the hanger; but as these pass under the moving cable they should be made concave, as in Fig. 6, so as to leave as mushroom as possi ble for the cable to sag should at any time a supporting-pulley be removed and the hanger remain in place.

The half-bearings a must be sufficiently wide apart to permit the pulleys to freely pass between.

There may be provided, as in Fig. 1, one or two lubricating-pipes, l, which are screwed into the solid ends of the half-bearings. If but one pipe is used on the side next the man'- hole K, then the spindle of the pulley must be bored through to lead the oil from one bearing to the other.

The form of the hanger is very completely illustrated in the several figures. It simply consistsof two triangular side pieces, a, having half-bearings 6 cast on one side at the bottom angle and the bosses or lugs 9 cast in each upper corner. Both side pieces are strengthened by a flange, 12, extending between the lugs g, and are joined together by the crossbars h. Finally, a strengthening-strip, c, braces between the back of the half-bearings e and the under side of the flanges b.

L is a U-shaped drainage-conduit made of either concrete, stoneware, sheet-iron, or other suitable material, and, as it is not required to resist any strains due to the traffic over the road, merely sustaining the pressure of the surrounding earth, it may be of light construction and entirely unattached to the main part of the structure, excepting that it will be neatly fitted or molded against it and thus be held in place. All the crossties will pass through the sides of this conduit, and where the man-holes K occur the conduit will open into them, as in Fig. 1; otherwise the conduit will be continuous from one end of the line to the other. When the conduit is'molded, cast, or formed, before being placed in position it will be laid in sections, with overlapping joints, like sewer-pipe. The man-holes have the usual frame, K and cover K, the well-hole being built around with a wall of either brick or concrete, as in common practice. M M are the stringers, which carry the rails M. Ordinarily these are seven inches deep, so that the channel-irons which rest on the same level may be about nine inches total depth.

N N are the paving-blocks, which have a bed of sand or earth below them and covering the ties.

O O are the depression-pulleys, which, ow-

ing to the fact that the present form of subway will not permit the old style of stationary pulley to be used, are made to be auto.- matically set aside to give passage to the grip Xwhenit approaches. There are two of these pulleys used at all the sharp vertical angles in the road where the grade suddenly ascends, and they are successively pushed aside'from the grip-path, one to the right and the other to the left, by the grip itself coming in con tact with the wedge-like frames P within which the pulleys revolve.

Q. Q are two bell-cranks, with adjustable counter-weights R on their horizontal arms, their vertical arms, which terminate in a hub, q, carrying the spindles upon which pulleys O O revolve; also, the wedge-like frames P are supported on these spindles.

The periphery of the pulleys is grooved and set in such a manner that they may be easily pushed aside from off the cable, and in adopted in the other figures. The arrow-points show the direction in which the pulleys are thrown by the passing grip, which should have a shaped end, so as not to strike the frame too suddenly. just about to strike the frame. The cable Sis shown by the single black line. The bellcranks vibrate on the spindle T, held in the fulcrum-plate U. Where these depressionpulleys occur, the subway will be enlarged to receive them and give room for their action. It is not necessary to elaborately describethis chamber further than to say that it should be strongly built and made water tight, and should have a connection with the sewer to give it free drainage. WVhen it is preferred to substitute iron ties for the wooden ones, (see Fig. 3,) there will be provided chairs V, to carry the rails, these chairs to be riveted to the ties, as shown. These ties should be made of angle-iron, when iron is used,.with crosssection shape, thus :1.

We are aware that subways for cable railways have been devised which permit astraight tie to be used to support the track. We do not therefore claim, in a broad sense, to be the first inventors of such a subway. Our device concerns simply a new combination of parts which constitute it an improved subway of the class named.

WVhat we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. A subway for cable railways, consisting, essentially, of "the flanged channel-irons A A, metal cross-bars 0, being part of or secured to the cross-ties B, brace-pieces D, straight crossties B, and suitable chambers and supports for cable-carrying pulleys, the whole arranged and operating substantially as described.

2. A subway for cable railways, consisting, essentially, of the flanged channel-irons A A, metal cross-bars 0, being part of or secured to The end of the grip is shown IIO the cross-ties B, brace-pieces D, straight cross; ties 13, supporting the track, continuous conduit and chamber K, for cable-carrying pulleys, and suitable pulley-supports, the whole arranged and operating substantially as described.

3. A subway for cable railways consisting, essentially, of the flanged channel-irons A A, l metal crossbars 0, being part of or secured to the cross-ties B, brace-pieces D, straight crossties B, supporting the track, continuous conduit and chamber K, for cable-carrying pulleys, and the pulley-supports E, formed of a metal frame having bearings cast thereon and being suspended from fastenings in lower flange of channelirons substantially herein described.

4. In subways for cable railways, the means for supporting the carrying-pulleys herein described, consisting, essentially, of an iron frame encircling the pulley horizontally and carrying underneath the bearings for the pulsupporting said pulleys and spindles on upper' end of vertical arms, and the Wedgeshaped frames P P, surrounding said pulleys, the whole arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

CHARLES VOGEL. FRANK \VHELAN. Witnesses:

GEO. PARDY, W. P. DRUM. 

